Method for collecting data for color measurements from a digital electronic image capturing device or system

• US 7,907,780 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2009
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Color Savvy Systems Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Color Savvy Systems Ltd.
• Inventors: Seibert, Karl F., Bodnar, Gary N., Pearson, Christopher H., Duke, Ronald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tucker; Wesley
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOLDEMARIAM, AKILILU K
• Application Number:
  US12/543,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20100021054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/128, 382/199, 382/154, 382/162, 382/167, 382/190, 250/206, 356/406
• US Class Current: 382/190
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0233 Handheld
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0262 Constructional arrangements for removing stray light
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0272 Handheld
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0289 Field-of-view determination; Aiming or pointing of a spectrometer; Adjusting alignment; Encoding angular position; Size of measurement area; Position tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0291 Housings; Spectrometer accessories; Spatial arrangement of elements, e.g. folded path arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/10 Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for spectrometry or colorimetry
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2803 using photoelectric array detector
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/50 using electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/524 Calibration of colorimeters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation

Abstract

A method for providing an intensity or brightness measurement using a digital image-capturing device comprising: selecting a target area within a field of view of the image-capturing device, the target area containing pixels; measuring the intensity or brightness of pixels in a target area; accumulating the intensity or brightness values of the pixels in the target area; and determining a pixel value representative of the intensity or brightness of the pixels in the target area. A device for making color measurements comprising an image-capture device, a processor or logic device, and a memory location for accumulating color data, and the processor or logic device is programmed to perform color measurements by accumulating the data for pixels located in the target area in memory, and determining a representative color value.

Claims

1. A device for measuring the color of a target area comprising:

a housing and an image-capturing device having a focal plane,

the housing having a first surface having an aperture therein defining a target plane through which the color measurement is made,

the surface and the housing providing a stable, fixed parallel orientation of the focal plane of the image-capturing device relative to the target plane wherein the first surface includes a contact surface that surrounds the aperture and has sufficient area that a light-tight seal is formed between the target area and the contact surface; and

the first surface also includes a recessed area, inset from the target area such that the measurement device does not contact the target area in the immediate vicinity of the aperture and the contact surface forms a light-tight contact surrounding the target area.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein, but for the aperture, the housing is light-tight and the housing includes at least one light source for making color measurements of the target area through the aperture.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the image-capturing device is a CMOS imaging chip.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the device fits in the palm of the hand.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the device includes a processor or logic device and a memory location for accumulating color data and the processor or logic device is programmed to perform color measurements by accumulating the data for pixels in the target area and determining a representative color value.